


Point Rain

by A_Shieldmaiden_of_Rohan, Blu3g1rl



Series: Project Freelance [7]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: And stop trying to fight with a concussion, Get this man a medic, Hurt Obi-Wan Kenobi, Other, Poor Cody
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-15
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2020-05-12 13:26:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19230022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Shieldmaiden_of_Rohan/pseuds/A_Shieldmaiden_of_Rohan, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blu3g1rl/pseuds/Blu3g1rl
Summary: With the clone army stretched in a desperate attempt to engage General Grievous' starfleet, Separatist planets that were once thought secure are now rising up against the Republic.On Geonosis, Separatist leader Poggle the Lesser, safe in his newly ray-shielded factories, creates thousands of terrible new weapons which march off the assembly line against the outnumbered clone army.





	Point Rain

Obi-Wan and Ki-Adi Mundi stared out of the window and to the desert planet below them. “I cannot believe we're back here again,” the Stewji murmured to his friend as they waited for the others to arrive. He had hoped to never return to this blasted planet, but the Force said otherwise.

 

Ki-Adi laid a gloved hand on his armored shoulder in comfort. Both men remembered all their brothers and sisters that died on that fateful day. “It is unfortunate,” the Cerean agreed in his soft voice, “The resistance from the native Geonosians was stronger than we anticipated.”

 

“The same can be said for their loyalty to Count Dooku,” Obi-Wan added darkly with a clenched fist. 

 

“A fact that is often overlooked,” Mundi acknowledged, not at all bothered by the other’s slight anger. 

 

Behind the two the doors slid open and two people raced in. “You're late,” Obi-Wan said instead of saying hello to his former student. The disappointment was clear on the ginger’s face. 

 

“Sorry, Master,” Anakin brushed off the disappointment with ease. “Ahsoka and I were busy routing the Seppies near Dorin.”

 

“My squadron alone had fifty-five kills,” the Togruta bragged to her Master, her pride clear to everyone. Her squadron, Blue Squad, had all come out unharmed as well. Her boys were riding the high of their well-earned victory and preparing to hit the ground running. 

 

“Yeah, but mine had seventy-six,” dismissed her Master, more focused on his own victory. He neglected to mention that he had lost two of his men. 

 

The teen rolled her eyes, not at all impressed by his arrogance, “Show-off,” she said, expertly hiding her annoyance. 

 

Obi-Wan wasn’t impressed by his former student’s actions either. “I'm glad you two are enjoying yourselves,” he said in a scolding tone. He had gotten the report from Cody on the Knight’s action and was concerned. How could his best friend take the lives of his men so lightly? And to make a game of killing? The man in front of him was nothing like the nine year old boy he first met. 

 

“It's just a little friendly competition, Master.” Anakin rebuked, not at all understanding his teacher’s concerns. “Nothing to worry about.” 

 

There was much to worry about, Obi-Wan quietly thought to himself behind highly shielded walls. The rising death toll, turning their younglings into battle-hardened soldiers, his own student (whom he thought of and loved like a younger brother) turning battles into games, and so much more. Instead, the ginger only offered a different worry. “What I worry about is the way this war seems to be drawing out with no end in sight,” he said uneasily. 

 

Mundi used his concerns to change topics; he too was worried about much, but they must focus on the present. “Which is why it is crucial our invasion of Geonosis meets with success.”

 

“Agreed.” Anakin nodded, oblivious to the Masters’ anxiety. He turned to his student and ordered, “Contact the Outer Rim command.”

 

She was way ahead of him, having the foreknowledge to do that when they had landed on the  _ Negotiator _ . “The others are just waiting for us.” She beamed at the approving looks the men gave her. 

 

ooOoo

 

Hands clasped behind her back, Ava waited quietly with the others for the Team ™ plus Master Mundi to arrive so the briefing could begin. Geonosis...not her favorite planet, and not just because of the climate. Hopefully, they didn’t sustain as many casualties this time. “I was wondering if you would come,” she greeted the four beings when they entered.

 

“And miss this?” Anakin smirked. “Not a chance, Ava.” He nodded his head to the other people, “Masters. Your Excellency.” 

 

“It is good to see you well, General Skywalker,” Chancellor Palpatine warmly greeted, “And you as well, Master Mundi, Kenobi.” 

 

“Chancellor,” Obi-Wan said politely. “Well, shall we begin?” He uploaded the plans Padme had obtained from her undercover mission. “Our ships are in position, and we are ready to begin our campaign against the Geonosians.”

 

“And what about Poggle? Any report on his location?” Mace asked. Capturing or killing the Geonosian leader could bring a swift end to the campaign. 

 

“It seems he's holed up at the primary droid foundry here,” Obi-Wan responded and pointed to the new factory.  “The factory is protected by a shield generator, however. Getting inside will be difficult, but not impossible.” He looked at everyone for a moment to let it sink in before continuing. “Anakin, Ki-Adi, Ava, and I shall attempt a three-pronged attack through their defense lines to a staging area just short of the shield,” he gestured to the shield,  “Once we have landed, we shall knock out the shield generator. That is our primary target.” 

 

A frown crossed the Republic leader’s face, “Isn't it risky committing three generals to one area of the attack?” he asked with concern, “If something went wrong, we could be dealt a serious blow.” 

 

“It’s a calculated risk, Chancellor,” Ava responded calmly. “The Geonosians are unrivaled weapons manufacturers. If we don’t act swiftly and take the planet, they could tip the scales in favor of the Separatists.” 

 

“To ensure that rise again Geonosis does not, capture Poggle we must,” Master Yoda informed the man. 

 

A strained smile crossed the elderly man’s face, “Of course,” he conceded, “As always, I shall leave the strategy to you, Master Jedi.”

 

“Our thanks, Chancellor,” Obi-Wan said in a polite tone, “And you don’t need to worry, Project Freelance has sent four of their agents to aid us.” As he said this, the door opened and said agents walked in. 

 

Ava only recognized one of the agents; it was Agent Naboo. The mysterious blue armored agent had shown her own Force abilities the last time she worked with the medic. The agent’s partner, Alderaan, was nowhere in sight, and for that Ava was grateful. 

 

The other three agents had orange, red and grey respectively. The grey armored was the tallest while Naboo was the smallest. “Masters, Chancellor, these are agents Jakku, Tatooine, Mufastar, and Naboo.” Only Naboo waved in greeting as Obi-Wan gestured to the four. “Each agent will accompany one of us and will help us stop the droid manufacturing.” 

 

Ava was surprised but kept her expression neutral. She hadn’t known that beforehand. Probably intentional on Master Obi-Wan’s part. One thing he’d said stood out to her: that the agents had been “sent.” Not hired. This was the second time an agent was “sent”. She wondered what was going on. 

 

“You didn’t tell us that, Master,” Anakin said, a hint of accusation in the words. 

 

“It was a last minute addition,” Obi-Wan lied; Anakin’s opinion about Freelancers was well known by everyone. 

 

“Then it appears our part is concluded. May the Force be with you,” Mace said, and ended the transmission. The others nodded and ended their transmissions as well; only Luminara remained. Anakin shot a look at his teacher that said that this conversation wasn’t over. 

 

Cody walked up to the group of people with his helmet under his arm, along with Rex, Bacara and Cas. “Good, Cody,” his General said, relieved for a distraction. He pointed to the displayed factory. “These are the coordinates for the rendezvous.”

 

The commander understood the silent request to relay their strategy. “Yes, sir.” The holo enlarged so that he could fully see the map. He drew a small square ten clicks away from the shield. “When we hit the ground, we'll create a perimeter. Getting past their defenses here will be the trick,” he moved his hand away and continued, “General Mundi will come across the defensive lines from the north. We will make our assault through the middle. General Skywalker along with Commander Charr and her squad will make his attack on the defensive lines from the south.” Miniature gunships flew across the holo and landed on the square he made. “And we will meet at the rendezvous point at 0700 exactly,” he finished and looked at everyone. 

 

General Skywalker looked excited about the mission while his own General stroked his beard thoughtfully. Commander Charr looked impassive as usual, and Generals Mundi and Unduli bore the typical tranquil Jedi expressions. 

“If we meet with strong resistance and are forced down away from the landing zone, hold out until we join our forces before attacking the shield generator,” Ava said.

 

Naboo tilted his head, “Their front lines are heavily fortified,” the childish voice noted, “Look at that giant wall with all the gun emplacements.” He looked back to his fellow ‘lancers. “That won't be easy to get past if we get shot down.” Mentally he went over his supplies for if things went south. 

 

“I told my demolitions expert to bring extra supplies,” Ava said. Torch, she knew, would be ecstatic if he got to blow up something as large as that wall. 

 

“Don't worry,” Anakin dismissed their concerns, “We're not going anywhere near that.”

 

“All the same, it doesn’t hurt to be prepared,” Ava replied.

 

Obi-Wan shook his head at the human’s statement, “Come now,” he jested lightly, “What happened to all the enthusiasm I saw earlier?” 

 

“Don't worry about us.” Anakin put a hand on Obi-Wan’s shoulder. “You just make sure you get yourself to that landing zone in one piece,” he told his former teacher.

 

The Stewji smirked at the challenge. “I shall be waiting for you when you finally arrive.” As if he would need any rescuing. The orange armored agent shifted slightly and he could feel the Freelancer’s amusement. 

 

“Gentlemen,” Luminara cut in, “If you are quite finished, we have a battle to begin.”

 

The tip of Obi-Wan’s ears turned pink at the chiding tone. “Quite right,” he coughed lightly, becoming serious again, “Cody, prep the gunships. I'll meet you in the hangar.” 

 

“Yessir.”

 

ooOoo

 

Cody followed his General to the gunship, “No, sir,” he answered the Jedi’s question, “I wasn't involved in the first assault on Geonosis.” No, Cody was still on Kamino at that time, still a cadet. 

 

“You didn't miss much,” Obi-Wan said wryly, “Last time, I was chained to a pole and attacked by several humongous monsters.”

 

He heard that right, right? Cody blinked. “That sounds...” he tried to find the right word for that as he imagined the ginger tied to a pole. “Entertaining.” And entirely expected of his general.

 

“And kinky,” another voice commented. Both men turned to see the orange Freelancer, Jakku if Cody remembered correctly; he had worked with the man once before. “Never pegged you for the type.”

 

“Well,” Cody’s general began lightly and said clone had a horrible feeling that his Jedi was going to add gasoline to the fire. “I’m always been one to try new things.” The ginger smirked. “However, the Geonosians didn’t respect my safeword, so I never bothered with it again.” 

 

Cody was torn between laughing at how his general was playing along and wanting to crawl into a hole; he didn’t need to hear about his commanding officer’s (and someone he thought as a brother) sex life! Agent Jakku gave out a warbled laugh. “I foresee a beautiful friendship, Kenobi. Call me Jak.”

 

Obi-Wan smiled at the newly dubbed Jak. “As long as you call me Obi-Wan.” 

 

Jak nodded. “We’ll see you at the landing point, Red.” Cody and Jak watched as the gunship lifted off. 

 

ooOoo 

 

“We all ready, Rex?” Anakin asked as he boarded the transport. Beside him, the red Freelancer stalked into the ship. Their anticipation was palpable. 

 

“Yes, sir,” Rex instantly responded as he side-eyed the agent, “General Kenobi is already underway.”

 

“He's got a head start,” Anakin quipped and smirked, “We'll have to catch up.”

 

The LAAT/i’s, or “lartys” as the troopers affectionately nicknamed them, could hold up to thirty clones. With Nate piloting and her sharpshooters (Spice and Blue) at the cannons, the interior was quite roomy. 

 

“Well,” Naboo said as everyone got ready for liftoff, “Let’s get this party started!” Any worry that the agent had before was replaced with cheerful excitement. Naboo even went so far as to fist pump.  

 

Ava shot the agent a quizzical look. This wasn’t her idea of a party. 

 

Admiral Yularen bade farewell to Ki Adi Mundi with a “Good luck, General.”

 

“There is no such thing as luck,” Mundi solemnly replied.

 

“Hmph,” Mustafar, or the grey Freelancer, scoffed as the doors slid shut, “We’ll be fine as long as the pilot can actually fly.” 

 

“Good thing those bugs can't aim,” a 212th trooper said confidently- right before his ship was shot down. 

 

“The flak is too heavy,” Mudi grunted as his gunship jerked around. His commander's comm beeped and started to inform him. “We're down! Repeat, down!” Another clone took over, “Location, five-” the voice cut out. 

 

“I just lost contact with Skywalker's team,” Bacarra reported. 

  
  


Ava felt her arm pop out of its socket as her  gunship landed on the sandstone with a grating crunch. Her hand slipped out of the loop, and she fell to the floor. 

 

The next thing Ava knew, she was staring up at Agent Naboo's visor. “How many fingers am I holding up?” the Agent asked in her childish voice. 

 

“Three.” 

 

Naboo shined a small flashlight in her eyes. “Looks like a mild concussion. Any dizziness or nausea?”

 

“No.” Ignoring the Freelancer’s outstretched hand, Ava placed her uninjured hand on the wall and used it for support as she stood. Immediately her stomach turned over and black spots swam in her vision.  _ Okay, maybe a little.  _ “But I think my arm's dislocated.” 

 

As she spoke, she looked over to Patch, who understood the unspoken question. “Nate’s got a moderate concussion, Bluestreak's left wrist is sprained, and Cas has a cracked rib.” He finished wrapping the sniper’s wrist. “They’re all treated and ready to go.  Everybody else just has cuts and bruises. It could've been a lot worse.” 

 

“Hmm.” She must've been unconscious for a couple minutes. “Good work.” 

 

“Good thing we have two medics for this mission, huh?” Naboo asked cheerfully and took her right hand in his. 

 

“I'm sure Patch could've managed on his own,” Ava said coolly, then sharply hissed through her teeth when the Freelancer wrenched her arm back into place. Cas winced at the loud popping noise. Ava softly exhaled as the searing pain faded to a dull throb and rolled her shoulder experimentally. 

 

_ Such gratitude.  _ Naboo rummaged through his medkit. “Now, you're going to need a sling and-”

 

“No time for that,” Ava cut him off and used the Force to send the ship doors flying. “The bugs will be coming to finish us off. We need to find out if there were any other survivors.” She ignited her saber and darted out of the gunship. 

 

Naboo lunged and missed her by a hairsbreadth. “Get back here!” The Chiss ignored him. “I'm not setting your arm if it comes out again! You hear me?” Naboo shouted after her, belatedly realizing it was an empty threat. Naboo shook his head and turned to his fellow medic. “Is she always like this?” he demanded as they followed. 

 

“She has her moments,” Patch replied wearily. At her best, she’d be reading a datapad when she was supposed to be resting. At her worst, she could give General Kenobi a run for his money. 

 

They caught up with Anakin's group taking cover behind a rock formation. 

 

“Here they come,” Cas said grimly as the Geonosians advanced.

 

“Watch it. Watch it!” Rex barked. 

 

“Ava, help me clear a path,” Anakin said. Ava nodded; but before they could do just that both Freelancers were on the move. Agent Naboo was shooting down the ones in the air while Agent Tatooine effectively shooting and stabbing nearby bugs with their gun and vibroblade. The red agent rolled around a dead body and threw a charge. 

 

“Well, that works, too,” Ava said dryly. “Let’s keep moving, shall we?”

 

“They're falling back. Come on!” Ahsoka shouted, deflecting blaster fire as she lead the clones forward.  

 

ooOoo

 

Mundi looked at Bacarra with wide eyes as he shouted, “Get the tanks on the ground, now!” He managed to finish his order right before the gunship was hit.  

 

Cody’s comm beeped and a faint voice came through. “Cody, get the tanks down!” It was too loud for the commander hear whatever was being said. Cody raised his wrist to hear it better, “Come in, Cody,” it was Bacarra, “Cody, come in!” the space marine’s voice was faint, “Get the tanks down!” 

 

“Copy that,” Cody responded and changed frequencies, “Pilot, begin landing sequence,” the 212th second in command ordered.

 

“Copy that, commander,” Oddball said, and Cody could practically hear his brother’s feral grin, “Have fun down there.” 

 

He took a deep breath as his gunship descended into the landing zone. Beside him, Cody could see Agent Jakku prepare his blaster. Once the doors opened everyone was running into the heavy fire. “Move it! Move it!” Cody shouted as he began to shoot. 

 

“Here they come!” Waxer hollered as Boil shouted, “Bugs incoming.”

 

Already some of his men were getting shot. “Man down! Man down!” 

 

This was madness incarnate. As the Freelancer shot an incoming insect, Cody hit his comm. “General Kenobi, don't land! The zone is hot.” No one would be able to land in this heat. 

 

His general immediately responded in a stressed voice. “But there's nowhere else to go!” In the background, Cody could make out his brother’s cries of, “We're hit! We're going down! Brace yourselves!” And General Kenobi’s comm went dead as his gunship crashed. 

 

“Move!” Jakku barked out and Cody’s body obeyed, rolling to the left barely dodging a bolt. “What’s happening? Where’s Kenobi!” 

 

It took Cody a moment to respond to the agent, shooting and killing a Geonosian. “He was shot down, sir!”  

 

ooOoo 

 

Mundi leaned against the destroyed gunship and held his ribs. The Jedi was almost positive that at least one of them was broken. Next to him stood Agent Mustafar, checking a lying clone.  “What are our losses, captain?” he asked his captain, Grif. 

 

“We got hit pretty hard,” Grif answered, “I think only Kenobi's forces made it through the flak to the landing zone.”

That wasn’t good. “And what about Skywalker?” 

 

“Captain Rex reported they're still in the middle of a firefight. Skywalker's tanks are gone, and they're trying to contact General Kenobi's forces for support. In the meantime, they'll press on to the rendezvous point.”

 

“So essentially,” Mustafar interjected with  a robotic drawl, “We’re on our own until we make it to the landing point.” The agent shook his head in annoyance, “Perfect.”

 

Wisely, Mundi ignored the agent. “Load the injured onto the tanks,” the Jedi ordered his men, “We'll make for that ridge. Force willing, we can meet up with Skywalker on his way to Kenobi's position.”

 

Bacara nodded, “I'll speak with General Skywalker.”

 

ooOoo

 

“Rex, what's the word? Can Obi-Wan send support or not?” 

 

“I don't think so, sir. Cody says General Kenobi never reached the landing site. They think his gunship got shot down.” 

 

“Great,” Anakin griped, “The one time I actually ask Obi-Wan for help, he's nowhere to be found!”

 

Having known Anakin for years, Ava understood that he was both frustrated at the lack of support and worried about his former teacher. Ahsoka, however, didn’t. “What if something happened to Master Kenobi? He could be injured or-” 

 

“No time for that kind of talk,” Anakin cut her off. “We need to mobilize now. Rex, get the men together. We're gonna rush the guns.”

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

“You two, with me. We need to give Rex cover when we attack.”

 

Ahsoka took a deep breath and tried to center herself. “Got it. Just... give the word.”

 

“Hey.” Anakin put a hand on her shoulder. “I'm worried about him, too. But you have to keep your mind in the here and now, otherwise, we'll never be able to help Obi-Wan.”

 

“All here, sir,” Rex reported.

 

“Ready?” At Rex’s nod, the Jedi ignited their lightsabers and led the charge. 

  
  


ooOoo

 

“Not good,” Longshot reported to Cody as he lowered his binoculars, “The bugs are splitting up.”

 

“Kark,” Cody swore under his breath as the battle continued. He turned to Jakku, “Five klicks east is General Kenobi’s ship,”  _ I hope _ , “Are you able to get there and check for survivors?” Normally he would have Waxer and Boil go, but the two brothers were too far away. There wasn’t enough time to get the two and have them check. 

 

“Easily,” Jakku answered and placed his blaster away, “Longshot, right?” the agent asked the sniper and Cody’s brother nodded, “Up for a run?”

 

“Yes, sir!”

 

“Shake a leg!” The two armored men ran for their lives as the Geonosians shot at them. For a few tense moments, it seemed as if neither man was going to be able to make it. Luckily, or Force willing as General Kenobi always said they made it to the crashed ship relatively unharmed. “And this is the bug’s idea of fun,” Jakku snarked as he pulled open a door.

 

“Of course,” Longshot deadpanned, “Just wait until we go back; then it’ll be a party.” 

 

“Kriff, you look terrible,” the Freelancer said to a dazed Obi-Wan. Indeed, he looked terrible; all covered in dust and cut up. “How do you expect to woo the natives like that?” As he spoke, he pulled the injured Jedi up. 

 

“I’m sure I’ll figure out something,” Obi-Wan grunted out, “Anyway, Trapper and I are the only ones still alive.” Trapper moaned softly and tilted his head at the sound of his name. 

 

Longshot pulled his brother up and half carried him. “Sir,” he addressed the wounded Jedi. “Commander Cody's established the square just beyond this position.”

 

Obi-Wan hissed slightly as Jakku shifted him around. “I know that you two are hurt but we need to get going,” the Freelancer urged, “Those flies will be here any moment.” 

 

“Lead the way,” the ginger grunted out and the four began their dangerous trek back to the landing zone, both Jakku and Longshot half dragging their living loads. 

 

As the four were running Cody tracked their movement with a pair of binoculars, “They've got the General,” he breathed out in relief and whirled around to a tank gunner. “AT-TE 636, lay down cover fire at point 3-5.” With the cover from the tank the four made it back with relative ease.

 

Jakku placed down the hurt Stewji on the dust covered rock by a crate so that Obi-Wan could lean against it. One of the 212th medics, Helix, ran over and took in the damage. “Are you injured, General?” He demanded as Trapper was placed next to him.  

 

“No,” Obi-Wan denied, “Nothing too serious.”

 

Jakku disagreed with him. “He says this as he holds his ribs in place.” There was a slight snarl in the agent’s modulator. “Don’t listen to a word he says. I know that he has  _ at least _ one broken rib.You might want to check for a concussion as well; that fall wasn’t pretty.” And despite being in the middle of a firefight, both Cody and Helix sighed in tandem. Leave it to their general to dismiss his own health. 

 

“He’s right, Cody,” Helix confirmed as he began a quick check on his general. “At least one broken rib, possibly a few fractured as well.” From his pouch, the medic grabbed a flashlight and turned it on and pointed into dazed blue eyes. “Slight concussion as well,” he shook his head, “You’re lucky that your rib didn’t pierce your heart, sir.” 

 

“Or your neck being snapped during that crash, Kenobi.” Jakku couldn't help but add and Cody paled at both ideas. Great, just what he wanted. Unnecessary nightmares of possible deaths. “Anything new happen?” Jakku asked Cody as Helix none too gently jabbed a needle into the ginger’s neck. Jakku wasn’t a medic like Naboo, but he could recognize that it was an anesthetic from anywhere. 

 

“No,” Cody shook his head, “We've got no air cover, two generals on the ground beyond our position, and a mess of bugs surrounding us,” the veteran listed off. “The enemy was more than prepared for our attack. They knew our every move.”

 

“We just have to hold out until the others arrive then,” the agent said. “When Tat gets here, those gnats will be on the run.” 

 

“That is if we can hold out for that long,” Obi-Wan darkly interjected as the medicine began to numb his body.

 

ooOoo

 

“Negative, captain,” Admiral Yarulen said, “We will be unable to provide any air support at this time.”

 

Grif felt the urge to scream at their luck. “I understand that sir,” he gritted out instead, “But we have three attack forces on the ground and only one at the landing zone.” As they spoke the AT-AT slowly made their way across the daunting landscape of dust and rocks. 

 

“This is a planetary-wide invasion, captain,” the Admiral informed Grif, “If I devote resources to your position, it will mean sacrificing other areas of the campaign. All we can do at this time is help you find General Skywalker.”

 

He could take that. Any help was desperately needed. “All right, sir. I'll report it to the General. Captain Grif out.”

 

ooOoo

 

Ahsoka huffed as they crouched behind a rock. “Well, this is another fine mess you've gotten us into!” she sarcastically said. 

 

“What?” Her Master had the guts to look offended. “Hey, it's not my fault!” he protested (and ignored Naboo’s shout of “Yes it is!”) “ _ You _ were supposed to study the holo maps!”

 

“I  _ did!” _ Ahsoka resisted the urge to strangle the dumb human. “Remember when Master Charr reminded you about the giant wall, and you said, ‘Don't worry. We won't be anywhere near that," she finished in a mocking voice. 

 

“Fortunately,” Ava interjected before things could escalate, “I had Torch bring some extra explosives. All you need to do is find an opening.” Torch grinned beneath his helmet. There was a silver lining to everything.

 

“Hmmph,” Tatooine finally spoke, “Enough of this useless chatter. We need to get to the objective.” The red agent’s voice was deep and intimidating.

 

There was laughter before, “Tat’s right!” Naboo agreed, “We can blame Skywalker for this after we finish winning the campaign.” 

 

ooOoo

 

Bacara jogged up to his general. “General, I left a squad to protect the tanks,” he reported but it was obvious to anyone that there was more he wanted to say.

 

Mundi hummed in agreement, “I can sense your hesitance, Bacara. Please, speak your mind.”

 

The commander paused before speaking his concerns. “Are you sure this is the shortest way to the landing zone?” Skepticism was heavy in his voice, worry clear for his men. 

 

“No, I'm not sure, commander,” Mundi admitted honestly, “All I can do is trust my instincts.” And believe that the Force would guide them to their destination. Slowly the troop entered the cave. 

 

Ahead of them Agent Mustafar raised his hand, “Wait a minute,” he ordered with one hand raised; the other had a grip on a pistol. “I have a wing vibration up ahead, be on guard.” As soon as he finished speaking swarms of Geonosians began to attack them. Grif watched helplessly as a brother was snatched up by two of them and carried off into the darkness. 

 

The captain, so focused on the screams of his brother, didn’t notice a bug until it was too late. His armored feet were lifted off the ground and a startled yelp tore from his throat. For a brief moment he believed that he was a goner until a bolt flew by his head and instantly killed the bug. Grif crashed to the cave’s floor in a graceless pile of armor, and he looked up to see Mustafar standing above him. “T-thanks,” Grif stuttered out.

 

The agent continued to shoot nearby Geonosians as the captain stood up. “Don’t mention it,” he said, and to the clone’s surprise there was an underlying tone of awkwardness. So the big bad Freelancer wasn’t as cold and distant as he tried to be. “Keep moving.” 

 

ooOoo

 

“So what's the plan, General?” Rex asked in between shooting a droid. Automatically he checked on his men. Out of the fifteen troopers of his company that survived the fall, only thirteen remained. Sketch and Temple had been shot down when the droids appeared on the Northern Wall. Sketch had been one of the few original members of Torrent Company, his name given by Rex when the captain watched his brother draw on a gunship (jagged teeth and glaring eyes, that day) while Temple had only just chosen his name. 

 

“Just keep us covered, Rex,” his general ordered, “There's too much laser fire for all of us to make the climb. Ahsoka and I will handle this. Just be ready when that wall comes down.” There was no mention of the two Freelancers busy shooting at or fixing up nearby droids and clones. Rex personally thought that his general believed that if he ignored the two agents, then the two would magically disappear. Rex also thought that that move was a terrible one; Freelancers were a great help if used. 

 

“Yes sir,” Rex obediently said and began to relay the orders. “Focus on the droids on the top of the wall!”

 

“Anakin,” Ava said before the Jedi could leave. She handed him the explosives. “Find a hatch and throw these in.” While she was waiting in the briefing room, she and her explosives expert, CT-9219, or rather Torch, had studied the wall in case a scenario just like this were to happen. The bomb happy trooper had theorized that with enough explosives placed inside near a gas pipe, the wall would go tumbling down like youngling building blocks. 

 

Ava didn’t need to see Torch’s face to sense his disappointment at not going along. “Look at it this way,” she told him, “You’ll get a better view of the explosion.” Through the Force, the Chiss could feel the disappointment turn into a thoughtful feeling before morphing into delight at the idea. 

 

Once a clear path was made two dashed to the rocky cliff and used grappling hooks to ascend.  “How many droids have you shot down so far?” Anakin couldn’t help but ask as they went up. 

 

“Twenty-five,” Ahsoka smugly informed him with a wide grin. 

 

Her self-satisfaction was chopped down as her Master scoffed. “You're falling behind,” he taunted, “I’m at thirty-three.”

 

“Man down!” A clone cried as his partner was shot in the shoulder and crumpled into the ground.

 

“Move him out of the fire!” Naboo ordered and jumped over the boulder, providing him and Tatooine cover to sprint over. The small Aruzan quickly checked over the injured clone before unclasping the shot shoulder plate to bandage the shoulder with bacta. “I’m not going to have enough supplies to help if this keeps up!” He shouted to his fellow agent. Already he was low on bacta due to the crash. He spotted the two Jedi run onto the wall, “What are they doing?” he asked nobody in particular. “Tatoo-” Naboo trailed off as he turned around to where Tatooine was suppose to be. Only, Tatooine was gone. Naboo blinked twice before he heard the distinctive blaster blaster shot of a pistol above. “Uh- Wha- How- JUST WHEN DID YOU GET UP THERE!?”  he shrieked incredulously at the sight of Tatooine running on top of the cliff and onto the wall. 

 

“Look for a hatch,” Anakin told his Padawan as he cut a battle droid in half. “We need to put the explosives inside the wall.”

 

Blue eyes darted around for a hatch shaped object. Suddenly the section under her left foot disappeared and a droideka appeared in her face. “Found one!” she shouted as she deflected a bolt. Behind her she could hear at least two more droidekas and her master’s muttered curses. Ahsoka rolled away from the droid, and to her surprise the Freelancer assigned to the group leapt over her crouched form. The agent rapidly shot at the metal menace and slowly moved to its shield. The Togruta watched in amazement as the red armored being dodged the point blank shots and reached into the shield and killed the machine. “Wow.” She blinked and the agent turned around to face her. “Thank you.” 

 

“What are  _ you _ doing here?” her Master’s annoyed voice demanded, and both turned to see the Knight standing between the smoking halves of a droideka. Next to him stood Rex and a sparking machine, no doubt killed by the captain. Anakin glared at the Freelancer with heavy disdain for the being. It made Ahsoka wonder what made the human hate them so much. 

 

“You were taking too long,” the deep voice of Tatooine curtly said. 

 

The opening where Tatooine’s kill came from opened again and a single brave battle droid peeked out. “Did you get them?” it asked, not noticing the four.   

 

Anakin tossed the droid the the pack of explosives. “Catch.” 

 

“Huh?” With a smirk, Anakin used the Force to close the hatch. “Noo!” it wailed.

 

“Come on, Rex.” Anakin lifted the captain over the edge. 

 

Ahsoka grinned with sadistic amusement at the Freelancer. “Up, up and away,” she sang out, but to her shock the agent raised his hand.

 

“Just be sure to catch me, or I’ll shoot you in the foot,” Tatooine promised and jumped off the wall. 

 

“Help!” the droid pitifully cried out as the charges exploded. 

 

A terrified scream tore through Rex’s throat as his life flashed past his eyes. Was this what his brothers felt when they fell to their deaths? He screwed his eyes shut as he neared the unforgiving ground, and to his shock he felt his body stop in midair. Rex opened his eyes to see that he was floating a few feet above the ground next to Tatooine. Both were gently placed on the ground and Rex took a deep breath to remind himself that he was still alive and not dead. Dead like Temple and Sketch. Dead like most of his company. “Next time, just tell me to jump,” he asked his general with a calmness he didn’t feel. He felt the beginning of a panic attack and ruthlessly squashed it. He would panic when the mission was over. 

 

“Now where's the fun in that?” his general asked in his signature cocky tone. “Come on, we can't keep Obi-Wan waiting.”

 

“Let’s go,” Ava told her team, hoping that the ginger was indeed still alive and waiting for them.

  
  


ooOoo

 

“We're almost through,” Mundi grunted out as he killed another Geonosian, “Bring in the flamethrowers!” Bacara nodded and signaled for them to come forward. 

 

To his surprise, so did Agent Mustafar. “Activate flamethrower,” he ordered, and there was a low chirp from his armor. 

 

ooOoo

“Look, what's that?” Ahsoka shouted and pointed to a large flame. Next to her Agent Tatooine ran with her. 

 

“Master Mundi, do you read me?” Anakin asked.

 

“We are here, Skywalker. We took a slight detour that put us out of communications for a bit.” 

 

“This has been a day for detours, Master,” Ava said dryly. 

 

There was a tired chuckle from him. “Indeed. But now the road is clear. I can see the landing zone. It does not look good.” 

 

Anakin turned to the nearest clone. “Can you get me Admiral Yularen?” 

 

“I can try, sir,” Cipher offered. After a minute, he managed to set up a transmission.

 

“Admiral, we're at the breaking point,” Anakin greeted him. “You've got to get some fighters down here.”

 

“You are in luck, General Skywalker. I have one squadron available.”

 

“Retreat! Go, go, go, go! Every shot counts! Give it all you got!” various clones shouted as they were forced back. 

 

It was Longshot that first spotted the incoming ships. “Reinforcements!” the sniper shouted with joy, “The reinforcements have arrived!” All around him his brothers whooped in joy. 

 

“And that’s not all, boys!” Jakku added as he saw the entourage of the original crew. “Looks like the others decided to show up after all.” There was relief in his voice as he spotted the familiar red armor of Tatooine. 

 

Ahsoka's eyes widened at the sight of the injured Jedi. “Master Kenobi!” she shouted in alarm and darted over to her grandmaster. Carefully she knelt down to face him, “Are you okay?” 

 

Obi-Wan was about to assure her that yes, he was fine, and no, he didn’t need to stay down Helix, when his former student cut him off. “Well, well...What happened to you?” There was a tone of smugness as Anakin walked up with a cocksure grin. His smirk faltered a bit at the sight of Obi-Wan, and the ginger could feel his worry through their bond. 

 

“I might ask you the same question,” Obi-Wan shot back and quietly assured his former Padawan that he was fine. 

 

At the same time Jakku moved from his perch, (constantly making sure that the Jedi wouldn’t try to go back fighting. Currently, Jakku had to stop Obi-Wan three different times, the suicidal idiot.) and walked over to Tatooine and looked over him. “You good?” he asked and placed a hand on the other’s shoulder. 

 

There was an odd sound from Tatooine, and he knocked the hand off his shoulder. “You don’t have to baby me. I can take care of myself.” 

 

Jakku didn’t look like the action hurt him, but Obi-Wan could feel the slight traces of hurt radiating. “I’m your big brother, Tat, it’s my job to worry about you.” 

 

“Whatever,” Tatooine scoffed, “Let’s just get this over with.” That was all the cue Obi-Wan needed.

 

“Our combined forces should be enough to destroy the shield generator,” Obi-Wan said and brought up a hologram of said generator. “Anakin, you'll need to take a small squad and Agent Tatooine through the shield, as close as you can get to their gun emplacements. From there, you'll be able to temporarily jam their scanners so they are unable to target the incoming tanks. Once the tanks knock out the shield, Master Mundi and Mustafar can bring the rest of the troops in with the gunships.” He looked at Ava. “I’m afraid that you and I along with the rest of the agents will stay here and hold this position, my dear.” 

 

“Not a problem,” Ava assured. “You and your men deserve a break, anyway.”

 

“And a medic or ten,” Naboo added and looked at the man. “Where’s the CMO? I’ll help them.”

 

“That would be Helix,” Cody offered up, “Kix here will take you to him.” Kix, a clone with shiny white armor, saluted. 

 

“You too, Patch,” Ava told her medic.

 

“Not until I've got a better look at that shoulder,” Patch replied. Ava rolled her eyes but sat down on a munitions crate and eased her arm out of her sleeve. Her shoulder was twice its size and a mottled blue and purple. 

 

“Do I really have to take the Freelancer?” Anakin complained and glared at Tatooine. He didn’t like Freelancers in general, but this one seemed to set off all kinds of flags in his head. 

 

“Yes, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said with exasperation. Couldn’t his dear student pick another time to challenge him? Jakku snickered at the complaint. The real challenge would be if his sibling would take the Jedi to jam the generator. Anakin huffed at that but thankfully backed down. 

 

ooOoo

 

“All units are in position, sir,” Grif reported to Mundi and he nodded.

 

“Tell Skywalker to start the attack, Bacara,” the Jedi ordered his commander. 

 

“Begin the attack,” he repeated and the clone far away relayed it to his general. Wordlessly Anakin lit his saber and began the charge, leading it. All around him droids and bugs shot at and carried off his men as they made their way through enemy territory. Quickly, the small team ran across a bridge and headed to a large boulder for cover. The Knight spotted his tagalong running next to his student, acting as a shield for her until they made it to him. “Let's jam their scanners,” he muttered to himself before speaking loudly, “Droid poppers ready.”

 

“Looks like it's working!” Ahsoka cheered as the cannons stopped firing at them. 

 

“Not for long, kid,” Tatooine remarked as he leaned around shot an incoming Geonosian. “And keep your head in the battle.”

 

Anakin fumed silently at how friendly the Freelancer was acting to his student. “Bring up the tanks.” 

 

ooOoo

 

After their victory, Ahsoka walked up to her master with a grin. “So, Master...” she began lightly as Anakin helped Obi-Wan into the gunship where Master Mundi stood. “What was your total?” 

 

A soft smile crossed Anakin’s face. “Not now, Ahsoka.”

 

“Oh come on,” the Padawan persisted and waved to Agent Naboo, “Are you afraid you lost this time?” There was an undercurrent of smugness in her voice, like she knew something he didn’t. 

 

“Fine,” the human relented, “Fifty-five, that's my count. And you?” 

 

A wide grin spread across her face and stretched her facial tattoos. “One hundred and twenty-seven. Looks like I won.”

 

Anakin blinked at the large number. There was no way that his student was able to destroy that many droids without him noticing. “You’re lying,” he shot back with accusation. 

 

“Nuh uh! Agent Tatooine said that his kill count could be added to mine since I was able to catch him,” Ahsoka informed him, “And even if he didn’t say that I had sixty; looks like I win either way.” 

 

“She’s got you there, Skywalker.” Naboo commented from his place on the gunship, “Good job, lil’ Bonnie.” 

 

“Bonnie?” Ahsoka repeated.

 

“Oh yeah, you got fire in you. The size of a bonfire. No wonder Tatooine likes you.” Naboo explained cheerfully. “You’d make a great ‘lancer.” 

 

“Uh... thanks?” Ahsoka half asked and half thanked. 

 

“Well,” Anakin interjected with an angry huff. He did  _ not _ want his student getting friendly with the hired guns. He ignored the compliment that Naboo gave viciously, “I called in the air strike, guess that makes it a tie.” 

 

“You're impossible,” Ahsoka muttered and went off to check on her men. 

 

Obi-Wan shook his head as the young girl took off. “I'll never understand how you can simplify these battles into some kind of game.”

 

The Knight shook his head at the remark. There was no real way to explain it to the ginger; instead he handed his former master off to a nearby clone. “Take care of yourselves. I expect to see both of you back here by the time I've destroyed the main factory,” he said to them with a smile. 

 

“We shall do our best,” Obi-Wan offered and leaned against his trooper, Whirl if the paint marks on the camouflaged armor was to go by. 

 

“Not to worry,” Naboo cheerfully said, “I’ll have these two as good as new when I’m done.” The agent moved over to where Obi-Wan was and injected the ginger with some more anesthetics.  

 

“That sounds reassuring,” Obi-Wan commented dryly with a small grin. He looked at his student with kind but tired eyes, “We’ll be back as soon as we can, Anakin. Just make sure that you don’t get caught. I won’t be there to rescue you this time.”

 

“Hey, I’m not the one that gets into trouble, Master,” Anakin protested as the doors began to slide shut, “Just who rescued who when they fell into a Rancor pit again?” 

 

“Oh,” Ki-Adi Mundi hummed out with interest as the ship took off, “Now that’s a story I haven’t heard. Care to tell me it?”

 

“I...well... that’s not what happened!” Obi-Wan stuttered out, embarrassed, “What I mean to say is that...” And Obi-Wan began to tell the people in the gunship the time when Anakin and he were off on a diplomatic mission to help re-establish order in a government that got interrupted by space pirates who wanted to rule the planet because of its spice mines. 

  
  



End file.
